Seat belts are some of the most crucial pieces of safety equipment that cars offer riders. They can prevent you from being flung through the windshield in a collision, and they work together with airbags to minimize the risks of you suffering catastrophic injuries. The problem, however, is that seat belts can sometimes cause their own injuries.
Below, you’ll learn how seat belts can sometimes cause losses and how having a reputable attorney by your side can assist. If you’ve been in a car accident in Florida and suffered a seat belt injury, a New Port Richey personal injury lawyer can help you file a claim to seek compensation.
Contact our Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers in New Port Richey, FL, at (727) 910-5060 to schedule a free initial consultation.
How Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help You With a Seat Belt Injury Claim in New Port Richey, FL
If you’ve suffered seat belt injuries, getting assistance from a personal injury attorney can be the most effective way of obtaining fair compensation for your damages.
At Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, our team of New Port Richey car accident lawyers will handle the following for you after your crash:
- Assessing your case to ensure we can help
- Investigating the accident
- Gathering evidence to prove your claim
- Negotiating with insurance companies
- Handling all legal paperwork
- Taking your case to court, as needed
We have over 119 years of combined legal experience and have earned ourselves the title of The Aggressive Lawyers. This gives you an idea of just how tenaciously we fight for our clients. This tenacity has allowed us to win tens of millions of dollars in settlements and jury awards. Contact our car accident lawyers in New Port Richey, Florida, to schedule a free consultation.
How Do Seat Belt Injuries Occur?
Florida experienced 397,620 codeable vehicular accidents in 2022. Of that total, 3,320 resulted in fatalities. On average, 41% of those fatalities occurred because the deceased wasn’t wearing a seat belt. That number gives you a good idea of just how important seat belts are.
Seat belts are meant to keep you secure inside the vehicle during a collision by relying on a retractor mechanism. When you pull the belt, a spool rotates and gives you enough slack to secure the seat belt. During a collision, however, the spool locks, preventing you from jutting forward with the force of the impact.
But if the collision is particularly violent, the seat belt can put a lot of pressure on your torso, potentially resulting in fractured ribs and soft tissue injuries. These types of injuries are more likely to occur in crashes that occur at high velocities.
Seat belts don’t always function as intended, either. If a manufacturer created a defective seat belt or installed it incorrectly, it may not work at all when you need it most. You’ll be left unrestrained and at risk of being launched from the vehicle in the event of an accident.
What Injuries Can a Seat Belt Cause?
A seat belt can cause a variety of injuries, as detailed below. By filing a claim, you have a chance to get compensation to cover your losses.
Fractured Ribs
Not only is breaking a rib a painful experience, but it’s an injury that requires a significant amount of time to heal, thus limiting your mobility and impacting your everyday life. A broken rib can also puncture organs, which can be life-threatening.
Internal Bleeding
With enough pressure, seat belts can cause internal bleeding as well. Internal bleeding is not always easy to spot because it can look like a bruise immediately following an accident. But if you don’t receive prompt medical attention, internal bleeding can put your life at risk.
Whiplash
Most people regard whiplash as a mild injury that only results in discomfort. In violent, high-speed collisions, however, your seat belt holds you in place while the car jerks you around, which means your neck and head might still whip backward and forward. In these circumstances, whiplash can be severe enough to cause debilitating tissue damage.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
If your seat belt doesn’t work, the resulting impact of a crash could launch you forward, potentially causing you to hit your head against the dashboard or steering wheel. In the most serious collisions, you could even be flung through the windshield.
In scenarios like these, traumatic brain injuries are likely. They include concussions and even more severe injuries like diffuse axonal injuries.
Schedule a Free Case Evaluation With Our New Port Richey Seat Belt Injury Attorneys
Getting compensation to cover the losses you’ve sustained as a result of an auto accident is often a complex process and one you shouldn’t attempt on your own. The Florida car accident attorneys at Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers offer the assistance you need.
We will investigate the accident to identify the liable parties and fiercely negotiate with insurance companies. Our team never shies away from going to court if that can help you recover fair compensation. Call our New Port Richey lawyers today to learn more about filing a claim.
